1. Technical Field
The embodiments described and claimed herein relate generally to wheelchair passenger securement methods, systems, and devices for vehicles. More specifically, at least some of the embodiments described herein relate to a method, system, or device for securing a wheelchair passenger in a vehicle (train, bus, van, plane, etc.) using 3 points of attachment for securing the wheelchair.
2. Background Art
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) mandates that all public transit service providers must accommodate persons with disabilities, including those who must use a wheelchair as their seat in the transport vehicle. ADA also mandates that, for the safety of the wheelchair user and near-by passengers, the wheelchair must be secured so that it will not move more than 2″ in any direction during normal vehicle operation. In addition, restraints must be attached to the wheelchair—historically two in front and two in the rear—that are sufficiently strong to keep it secured in the event of a crash event.
Current systems on the market generally use a four-point system where two restraints are used to secure the front of the wheelchair and two are used to secure the rear of the wheelchair (one on each “corner” of the wheelchair). In that respect, the current systems utilize four attachment points on the vehicle, four attachment points on the wheelchair, and four restraints extending between each respective vehicle attachment point and wheelchair attachment point. The prior art four-point systems are considered by many to be relatively cumbersome and time-consuming to secure, especially if the system is used on a public transit vehicle where dwell times are critical.
The prior art four-point systems suffer from numerous problems or short-comings. For example, the four-point systems utilize two restraint devices for securing the front of the wheelchair, one on the wall-side of the wheelchair and one on the aisle-side of the wheelchair. The use of the additional aisle-side restraint increases the cost of installation (more components and labor), poses a significant obstacle and tripping hazard for wheelchairs and other passengers, and requires more time to secure the chair (increasing vehicle dwell time and the potential for driver injuries while attempting to secure the device). Some have attempted to solve this problem by mounting the aisle-side restraint device to a retractable arm, such as the one disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,888,038, but such a system adds unnecessary expense and still poses a potential tripping hazard.
Others have attempted to vary from the traditional four-point systems with limited success. See, for example, the systems described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,060,271; 4,257,644; 4,427,210; 4,492,403; 4,688,843; 4,265,478; 5,026,225; and 6,113,325. One of the attempted solutions utilizes three attachment points on the vehicle. For example, the system disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,113,325 (“the '325 patent”) utilizes three vehicle attachment points or restraint devices (two in the front, one in the rear). However, this system still suffers from the same problems as the traditional four-point system since it also requires the use of a coupling, or some other device, such as a “Y” belt (see reference number 48 in U.S. Pat. No. 6,113,325). Although the coupling is only secured at one end to the single rear restraint device, the coupling is configured to secure the rear of the wheelchair at two wheelchair attachment points. In such systems, there are still effectively four attachment points to the wheelchair. Therefore, such systems are still relatively cumbersome and time-consuming to use. Plus, these systems are inherently weaker than the traditional four-point systems (four vehicle attachment points/four wheelchair attachment points) since they utilize only one restraint device to secure the rear of the wheelchair, where more strength is required to sufficiently restrain the wheelchair during emergency braking events. Also, if the coupling or “Y” belt is not permanently attached, there is the potential to lose the component, rendering the system useless. Further, the vehicle operator must still attach four restraints to the wheelchair as in conventional systems, as well as connect the additional coupling to the rear restraint device. In fact, it is believed that such a configuration may actually increase dwell time and potential for driver injury as compared to traditional four-point systems. Even further, the configuration of these prior art systems are quite complex, which increases the opportunity to use it improperly. It should not be forgotten that driver error is one of the most predominant causes of wheelchair tip-overs in the industry.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,257,644 (“the '644 patent”) also discloses a system utilizing three vehicle attachment points. However, this prior art system utilizes manually operable restraints and coffers, or covered floor pockets, that are bulky, difficult to use, can pose a significant tripping hazard, and require an extra installation as compared to the embodiments described herein. Like the prior art system of the '325 patent, the system disclosed in the '644 patent also only uses a single vehicle attachment point to secure the rear of the wheelchair and is therefore inherently weak. As discussed above, in typical wheelchair securement systems, where the wheelchair passenger is forward facing in the vehicle, more strength is required to secure the rear of the wheelchair, as opposed to the front, to withstand emergency braking events.